Chennai Water Crisis

Chennai’s aspirations to grow into a global economic hub appear considerably weakened as it
struggles to get water. Chennai is practically the first Indian city to have gone dry with the
Central Water Commission reporting a rainfall deficit of 41 per cent in Tamil Nadu till June 13
this year.

How did Chennai lose its water?

• Three rivers - the Cooum, the Adyar, and the Kosasthalaiyar - flow through Chennai into the
Bay of Bengal.
• Chennai used to be water-surplus metropolitan cities of the country till a couple of decades
ago.
• The Centre for Climate Change that conducted the study blamed road construction - highways
and flyovers, airports and high-rises for depleting water resources in Chennai.
• Reports say that wetlands have been encroached upon to expand urban settlements.
Consequences of water scarcity in Chennai
• Most of Chennai's population today is dependent on water tankers and curtailed municipal
supply for daily requirement of drinking water.
• Water for sanitation is scarce. Laundry and bathing are nothing short of luxury in today's
Chennai.
• Pipe water supply to homes is not even 10% of what it used to be, and wait for a Metrowater
tanker is as much as three to four weeks now.
• This season, the city started reeling under water shortage much earlier than usual, due to
elusive rains, depleting water tables and the crunch in availability of water from nearby areas.
• Water, or rather its scarcity, has started impacting the law and order situation too as the city
has started seeing a spurt in cases of ‘water rage’.

Government Policies
Policy paralysis for decades on the water front in Chennai is largely to be blamed.
• The government opened the IT Corridor and showered builders and IT companies with floor
space benefits, but no thought was given to the source of water for drinking and regular use.
• Today, the IT Corridor has at least 150 mega structures owned by 650 big companies that
employ 3.2 lakh people. Besides, there are more than 12.5 lakh residents, too. But they have no
piped water supply and borewells are of no use as the clayey soil yields highly saline and soapy
water. Their sole source of water is private tankers that used to recklessly plunder farm wells
located a short distance away.
• Successive governments, the report states, have gone on to build highways, residential
complexes and roads by converting water bodies. In addition, rampant disposal of sewage
waste and garbage inside canals, rivers and lakes in the city over the years has worsened the
problem.

Steps Taken to Fight Water Scarcity

• Educating people to change consumption and lifestyles: The current government has set
up many campaigns to ensure mass publicity of the issue. Coping with the water scarcity will
require major overhaul of all forms of consumption, from individual use to the supply chains of
major corporations
• Encouraging water conservation research and development: Many science expos have
been planned in order to obtain innovative ideas regarding water management.
• Improvement in water catchment and harvesting: Efforts have been made to improve
infrastructure for efficient water harvesting.